Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction
by skydog91
Summary: One Journal. One Lady. Many Victims.
1. Chapter 1: Through the Camera Eye

Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction

Chapter 1: Through the Camera Eye

Candlelight shines through the window of an average sized bedroom. A young lady lifts her quill from her ink jar and begins what would be her escape to melancholy. She began to write in script:

_Oh, how I love the smell of roses. The blood-saturated leaves fill my heart with comfort knowing what I've done. I'm going to hell. – Judith Grimes, Section 1: The Grim Tales of My Destruction._

Her room is princess pink with neon glow in the dark stars dangling from the ceiling. In the right corner of her room a giant unicorn plushie supporting a rainbow saddle sits in the corner receiving no attention since it was given to Judith three years ago. The left side of her room was a completely different story. A pentagram hung from a side shelf filled with fire-eye skulls. On the ceiling, about five inches from the shelf, sat a plaque of a human head. Her first victim, blood dripping from his eye sockets. It was Carl.

_Oh, how the cameras roll for the beauty of my complexion. I'm a shining star gleaming through the galaxies like a vixen, well more like a harpy (insert evil laugh). My poor older brother is on my stake and my parents will never know, oh how they should have never child-proof locked my door. Ignorant bastards. _

_Signed with my mountain of hatred, _

_Judith Grimes Section 1, Part 2: The Grim Tales of my Destruction._

As the stars waved their final goodbyes of the night, Judith's colorful mind played a movie of a baby gazelle being slaughtered by a vicious cheetah. She smiled, with such joyfulness, and walked to her bed for rest and her favorite part:

The thought of tomorrow's bloody adventure.


	2. Chapter 2: Never Wish Upon A Star

**Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction**

** Chapter 2: **

Georgia welcomed a thunderstorm the following day, as Judith laid comfortably dreaming of miscellaneous scenarios. She would often dream of her older brother the day of the murder, the noose's tight grip across his ghostly white neck. She twirled his hanging body like an amusement park ride for her own joy. She would later behead him to forsaken him from becoming a walker. His vociferation that day quickly went silent. She would also dream of happier thoughts, prince charming riding her away to a majestic castle and the masquerades that followed.

Outside the trees banged against the siding and the squirrels scurried in fear. Judith's eyes opened and she smiled, her admiration for thunderstorms was bizarre. Outside her bedroom door she heard footsteps approaching and the faint voice of her father screaming her name, she ignored his beckoning.

"Judith! Your mother wants you, open this door right now!" Rick shouted.

"Dad I'll be down in a minute, I'm finishing up school work" Judith replied, even though she knew "schoolwork" was just another lesson in murder.

Judith sat at her desk, the quill's ink dried from her journals last entry. She turned the page and began to feel out her future plans.

_My Future Plans:_

_ Kill….._

_ Kill…._

_ Bleed…_

_ Embrace…_

_Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of My Destruction (The Future of this Killjoy)_

She stared at the new entry with a feeling of pleasure, as she heard her father's footsteps approaching the door yet again.

"Dad don't even yell my name, you are no longer someone I care about! Why don't you go burn everyone else's bridges! Why can't you be the loving dad to me like you were to Carl, why can't you accept me?" Judith stared at the wall ending her statement with a feeling of disbelief.

There was no response.

"Really you expect me to believe you're a grown man when you can't even respond to your own daughter pleading for love? I hope your bereft heart is wailing!" Judith shouted with no sense of control.

"You are no longer my father, RICK!" Judith paused, she kind of was proud of herself for finally saying it.

Still no response, but now a loud bang hit her door as if someone were trying to plow the door down. Judith approached the door and looked into the spy hole.

Judith's wish was granted. Rick was one of the dead.


	3. Chapter 3: Tis' But a Flesh Wound

**Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction**

** Chapter 3: Tis' But a Flesh Wound**

The walls will crumble; the life will disperse into the field of brightened stars. The tears will fall; the hatred will rise. The shadows will grow; the heart will sink.

Judith pushed herself as far from the door as she could, she began to take in that she caused this tragedy. Rick's monotony of growls continued from the doorway. Judith had accepted that her house had been taken over and that her mother was probably lurking downstairs looking for her next victim. Escape was the only way out. She began to pack her much needed survival belongings into an old backpack she once carried to school every morning. She searched her room for her most prized possession, the butcher knife she used to decapitate her brother. She would leave one thing behind, her brother's head.

Judith knew she had an uncle who lived a block over from her family's neighborhood. Uncle Jeff was the brother of Rick, and was the only family member that they were in contact with during the apocalypse. The family hadn't heard from him in about a week so she wasn't even sure if he was still vital.

Jeff's house was designed to look like homes built during the Revolutionary War. He was a history nut and also had a large collection of exotic birds. Judith walked up the driveway towards the front door; she knew ringing the doorbell would be a mistake. She tapped the door quietly hoping for an answer, but there was none. A charming gnome sat on a wooden table near the door, Judith knew her uncle also liked lawn ornaments. She knew there was no other way inside without checking to see if he'd had locked the door. She reached for the circular golden knob and pushed herself against the door, it was unlocked.

Inside the smell of the dead encircled her nostrils, what an unpleasant way to welcome guest she thought. She walked towards the living room which sat directly north of where she was standing. Inside the living room, was a variety of sized bird cages, each containing its own exquisite design. Judith quickly realized these were not filled with birds. The first cage held that of an infant that had both eyeballs ripped from its sockets and the words _Eram filius of a raptor_ engraved into its forehead. Judith backed away from the cage, bumping into one behind her that twirled and hit the floor. She glanced around making sure nothing heard her. She continued to observe the cages. Children squeezed inside the larger cages and walker heads in the smaller ones made this site unpleasant for Judith. There was one cage left to observe in the far left corner, its door had handcrafted iron filigree patterns. Inside the cage was a note, a note of despair.

_April 16, 2020_

_ My dear friends, family, and voyeurs_

_ This is Jeff Grimes, I'm writing this to tell you I have left Georgia for Tennessee. I may not make it there before the dead avenge me, but I wanted to let you all know that I'm no longer where you are standing. These bird cages represent the people who have betrayed me or the walkers who tried to slay me. If for some reason my demise is short coming, and the hot sun bakes my flesh…. Remember me._

_PS. If you dare to come find me, please speak to Carol Peletier located in Towns County. I can't tell you anymore about her whereabouts but hopefully she makes it through this hell. I've told her my exact location._

Judith held the letter, she just began to take in that she'd be alone on this quest.

"Hello is anyone in here? Hello!" A voice came from the hallway.

"_Oh shit" _Judith thought to herself. She remembered a remotely decent hiding spot behind one of the bird cages.

Two black American civilians walked into the living room staring at the bird cages, they glanced around staring at the dead inside.

"Tyreese, I don't think anyone's here"

"Sasha we can't just accept that there's nobody here, what if there's someone in danger or in need of help"

"Tyreese I understand your concern, but there's most likely no one living here"

Judith leaned in closer, peeking through the rails of the bird cage listening to their altercation. She knew she had to kill the man first.

"Sasha! You know this house may have resources for us to survive longer, let's just grab a few things and leave. Trust me Sasha."

"Fine have it your way, but if some lunatic comes from the corner with a knife than don't tell me to help." Sasha said with a look of anger on her face.

Judith knew this was the time to do a stealth attack, she knew it'd take a lot of might and courage for a thirteen year old girl to approach a black male double her size but she wasn't scared, or was she?

Judith began to squeeze through the cage next to her as the two individuals exited the room. She was about halfway there, at this rate she could even escape leaving the two humans unharmed. She was bloodthirsty though. Going around the last cage was going to be a challenge as the backside was rounder, meaning she'd have to push the cage forward without knocking it off hook it hung from. She squeezed herself to the last cage and began to push it forward, the hook was loose from the top. _CRASH!_

"What in the hell was that! Tyreese!" Sasha screamed in fear as she turned around. Tyreese entered the room with a concerned look on his face.

"Where'd it come from, the bird cage room?" Tyreese said questioning the location of the crash.

"Yeah I believe so, let's go in together" Sasha said as the two of them exited the nearby doorway and saw Judith standing there.

"Oh my Jesus! There's a child in here!" Tyreese said with a fatherly smile.

Judith appeared in shock as these two unknown individuals stood in front of her. She reached for her butcher knife and charged at Tyreese at full speed. The knife entered Tyreese's shoulder but he was much too strong for Judith and pushed her back as she fell to ground hitting her head and blacking out.

"Tyreese! Are you okay?" Sasha said checking his shoulder and staring above the now knocked out teenager.

"I'm fine Sasha, it's just a flesh wound. Did I kill her?" Tyreese said with a look of sincerity.

"She appears knocked out, but we have to leave her. We can't feed a child." Sasha said with a look of disgust on her face.

"Sasha we are taking her, there's no way I'm leaving her here to be savaged by some fleshing eating walkers! She's a human being that has grown up in such a dramatic and heartbreaking world, we can't just leave her!" Tyreese screamed at Sasha causing her to backup and accept his command.

As nightfall came and the wolves wandered within the forest bushes and the fire embers rose to the sky, Sasha and Tyreese remain watching over Judith as the groans of walkers approached the camp. Sasha bandaged Tyreese's shoulder with wool bandage and Tyreese just smiled knowing he'd had saved a life and was about to save two more again.


	4. Chapter 4: Stavenford

**Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction**

** Chapter 4: Stavenford**

The campfire filled with embers remained smoky the next morning. Judith arose from her sleeping stage stretching her arms in relief. These two unknown individuals had saved her life, but her mission lied ahead. _Wonder if they'd go with?_

"Hey little girl" Tyreese said approaching Judith with a pristine white smile.

"Hi" Judith said blushing with coyness.

"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?" Tyreese said still smiling with happiness.

"Judith… Judith Grimes. I need your guy's help" Judith said handing the note found in her uncle's house to Tyreese.

"Oh my, was this found in that house? Do you know the family who lived in it?" Tyreese said with a questioning look.

"Yes, it was my Uncle Jeff. He was my brother of my father, he was the only family member we really remained communicated with when this hell went down" Judith said scratching her head.

Tyreese placed his arm around Judith and led her over to Sasha. The three of them left the camp behind with a mission, Carol was their target. They continued to walk from around three in the afternoon until late evening. The humidity was unpleasant during the day so they tried to walk longer at nights, even though the danger of walkers was greater. The walkers would follow them closely with their eyes of monstrosity. The journey was long but they finally seen what they'd been looking for, a light.

The illuminating lights of candlelight appeared in Judith's eyes. The lights came from a rather building of tremendous size, almost appearing as a castle's tower. As they got closer to the building, it's well designed cobblestone pathway to its front door looked freshly made. Tyreese knew better than to believe that the person inside was a woman, but Judith wanted to believe otherwise.

Judith approached the front door, Tyreese followed closely behind as did Sasha. Sasha reached for Tyreese's hand who was trying to stop Judith. Judith hit the door with a clenched fist. No answer.

"We're going to have to find a way up to the window" Tyreese said doubtfully.

"No we won't" Judith said as she prepared a picklock method on the knob.

As the two attempted to break into the home, Sasha glanced around town. There was a large sign to a few steps to the right; it read "Welcome to Stavenford". The streets were filled with debris, meaning that if anyone was here they were the last to survive. The other buildings remained dark. Sasha returned back to the two who still looked frustrated with the front door.

The forest wolves from the camp could be heard in the distance, meaning the walk wasn't as long as they originally thought if this was where Carol resided. The three of them stood under moonlight, their signs of hope seemed to drain every hour. _Wonder where Carol was?_

"Guys, I just don't see us getting inside" Sasha said in disbelief. Her eyes averted to avoid Judith's response.

"I'm not giving up; my uncle Jeff is still out there!" Judith said with anger fueling in her eyes.

"Judith, Sasha is right. Your uncle Jeff is probably one of them" Tyreese said as a herd of walkers began to approach the three of them.

Tyreese charged at the walker to the right, the man who once lived inside this walker was a farmer of the land. His plaid shirt now splashed with blood and mud. Tyreese rammed his hunting knife into the forehead of the dead, and continued the slaughter by stabbing him repeatedly. With bloody flying everywhere Sasha and Judith remained defenseless, three other walkers were headed their way. The sound of a Remington rifle fired behind them, a woman emerged from the once locked building. She extended her arms to welcome them inside after the herd was eliminated.

"We finally found who we were looking for" Judith said at Tyreese with a smile. The first smile Judith had given her new-found family.

"Yeah… Yeah, whatever you say" Tyreese said with a chuckle realizing that he had made this girls life a little brighter.

"Hi I'm Carol, who are you guys?" the woman said as the group entered the shelter.


	5. Chapter 5: The Secret

**Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction**

** Chapter 5: The Secret**

Stavenford was a small town in Town's County that was the host of many local area carnivals and masquerades. The town folks all knew each other; they all trusted each other enough to leave their front doors unlocked. A few days before the walkers had arrived, the mayor had issued an evacuation, most would ignore his request and the few that did would never see their friends or family again. The evacuation was similar to the holocaust, each member of the family would be lined up to board city buses and each bus would take the civilians to be shot in the middle of meadows and fields. One of those who left was the mayor's wife and children. The mayor would last a few weeks into the apocalypse before pulling the trigger on himself.

The shelter in which Carol resided reminded Judith of home. The kitchen of fresh goodies, the eloquent paintings hanging from the walls, and even the unpleasant mouse holes with mice heads peeking through to see if they could steal a bite. Outside the whistling winds and roaring thunder made for a rough night. The candlelight flickered, as Carol prepared fish she had caught a few days prior.

"I'm not used to feeding more than myself, so I hope I make enough" Carol said as she rustled around the kitchen preparing the food.

"We'll be fine" Sasha and Tyreese said together.

The group enjoyed the night eating dinner and discussing a little about their home life. Judith would share the tales of her mother and father, even though she had no desire to. She did not discuss Carl. Tyreese and Sasha discussed old family vacations, and Carol discussed her daughter Sophia. Near the end of the stories, Carol walked over to Judith and embraced her with a bittersweet hug.

"You just remind me so much of my Sophia, you're beautiful." Carol said smiling.

Judith, Tyreese, and Sasha headed to bed shortly after story time. Their sleeping area consisted of two beds, which was miles better than sleeping on dirt. The room had a bookcase filled with old poetry and gothic novels. Judith glanced at the titles grabbing a book filled with Edgar Allen Poe's poetry and rested her head upon her bed, quickly dozing off.

The next morning came relatively swift; they arose to the smell of Carol's cooking. They made their way towards the kitchen, passing by photographs of Carol and her family. Judith stopped in front of one, it was of Sophia. Her light brown hair shined from the camera's flash, and the daffodils in the background brought of her marvelous maroon dress. Judith smiled and turned back towards the kitchen to enjoy the freshly made breakfast that Carol had prepared.

During breakfast the adults discussed who'd go collect supplies that afternoon, Sasha and Tyreese volunteered to go giving Carol time to get to know Judith. Judith wasn't fond of Carol thus far, so this was very aggravating.

"Don't forget to get enough wood for the stove! It's a wood burner!" Carol shouted as Tyreese and Sasha made their way out to get supplies. Carol turned back around after shutting the front door.

"I'm going up to our bedroom to read some more from a book I took off one of your bookcases" Judith said beginning to exit the room with a smile.

"Oh, well I was going to bring out some of Sophia's toys for you to play with" Carol said with a mildly pleasant look on her face.

"No it's okay, I'll go read" Judith replied.

"Okay, well I'll be outside fixing up a hole on the side of the house. I think it's where the mice keep coming in from" Carol said with a slight chuckle.

Judith stared around the room, Carol was gone. She didn't want to escape; she needed Carol's knowledge on her uncle. She began to question how trustworthy Carol really was quickly deciding to explore the rest of the house. She entered Carol's bedroom, a musky perfume filled her nostrils. She located the half empty perfume bottle near the door. She knew she'd not hide anything really suspicious in her dressers; instead Judith glanced around the room for anything out of place. Everything seemed fine. The sound of the backdoor creaking came behind Judith, she scurried out of the room and back into the kitchen as Carol came walking back in.

"Damn rodents… they aren't coming out from that hole" Carol mumbled to herself as she entered the kitchen. She looked at Judith, and proceeded "Did you already finishing reading the book?"

"No, I decided to just sit here and think about writing my own story. I was thinking about writing about a knight who comes to rescue us from the dead" Judith said trying to hold back what she really wanted to ask her.

"Oh, well I'm going back outside. If you need me for anything just come and get me" Carol said as she headed back outside.

This was Judith's second chance, a chance to show Tyreese and Sasha something Carol was hiding. Judith knew in the inside that this lady wasn't as nice as her personality showed. She embarked on her quest, for the second time this time going towards the staircase that led into the basement. The marble staircase had railings made to interpret ivy vines. Judith gripped the handles and descended into the dark.

Judith felt the temperature drop and her bones ached; it almost felt like she was carrying her own dead weight. She continued walking through the dark, bumping into nearby objects that were unclassifiable. Up ahead a door's sweep shined a bright yellow light, she knew this had to be something hidden. She approached the iroko door; its golden knob was awaiting her turn.

"Judith! Where are you Judith? Oh dear god! Judith!" The screams of Carol could be heard up stairs. The sounds of the scream of her name brought back the haunting memory of her father, but she knew she had to continue to work on the door. The knob finally cooperated, and the door flung open.

"Judith where are you!" Carols screams continued from upstairs.

Inside the lantern lit room was boxes filled with gold and jewelry. To the left of the door was a box filled with watches and other trinkets. Judith kept examining the room; nothing looked out the ordinary except a box hidden behind a larger barrel. She attempted to push the barrel, she was too puny to make it even budge. She knew she'd have to hurry because Carol would eventually know to look down in the basement and see the door to this hidden room was open. She searched the counter spaces near the boxes of trinkets and jewelry and found a manila rope; she began to make it into a lasso shape. She lassoed the barrel, and tied the other end to the door almost imitating a pulley. She slammed the door, forgetting the noise it'd make. The barrel fell over and the box was in view. The sounds of footsteps came from the staircase. She quickly ran over to the box, inside the box was thousands of bones. Judith examined the bones, but could not make out if they were animal or human. She knew she'd have to come back and left the room, closing the door as much as she could behind her and hiding the darkness and the footsteps got louder.

"Judith is that you? You won't be in trouble if you come out like a sweet innocent girl that you are." Carol said with a slight monotone tone.

Judith noticed Carol had a dim lantern in her right hand, she knew she was screwed because even if she could get past her light she'd have to creep up the stairs with no noise. Judith abandoned her hiding spot, Carol's lantern shined into her eyes.

"Did you get inside my research room?" Carol said with a malevolent tone.

"Yes" Judith said with no other sign of emotion.

Carol grabbed Judith's hand and led her upstairs, the two of them sat in the kitchen until Tyreese and Sasha came back from their supply run. Carol would tell Tyreese and Sasha about Judith's betrayal, they'd both agree that Judith wouldn't be allowed to be left alone any longer even though Sasha was growing curious of what sent Carol over the edge that Judith had found.

Night arrived with very little communication between the four of them; Judith sat up in the bedroom reading more into Edgar's dark life. Sasha sat outside looking at the stars with Tyreese still filled with the curiosity of Judith's discovery. Carol remained in the kitchen with a knife in her hand etching the word "LOVE" into the kitchen table. Judith would fall asleep hoping Carol had forgiven her.

The cold midnight breeze entered the home; Judith looked beautiful in her sleeping stages. Carol stood at the door of the bedroom taking in the beauty of her body rested. Carol's mind kept racing, she wanted to wake Judith up and talk about their problems. _No. _Breaking into her research room was intolerable; she knew what she must do. Carol embraced her belt buckle, underneath which held her butcher knife. She approached Judith; she glanced at the child of a family no longer around. She stuttered on her action as the thought of Sophia quickly arose. The dagger now dangling above Judith's forehead, she knew she just had to do it. _Silently._

Carol remained over Judith's body, she couldn't do it. She pulled back from the peaceful young girl, and left the room weeping in distraught.

The sun rose and the sounds of robins filled the temporary shelter of the four human souls as the dead surrounded the neighboring streets and homes. Carol walked to the door of the bedroom, knocking on the open door.

"Time to get up! I'm making something yummy!" Carol exclaimed.

Judith sat up realizing that Carol had completely forgiven her. She started around the room seeing Sasha and Tyreese still asleep. She woke them up and headed towards the kitchen for a much more enjoyable breakfast than the previous day. Judith brought up her uncle.

"Carol, do you know someone named Jeff Grimes?" Judith said as she gulped down her nervousness.

"Why… yes I do. He was a friend of mine who left here for Chattanooga" Carol said delightfully.

"He's my uncle, I need help locating him. I'm sorry to say but we won't be staying here much longer" Judith said hoping to not displease Carol.

Carol stared at Judith, and averted her eyes to the ground. Judith stared at the disappointed Carol, with the thought in the back of her mind that Carol definitely could not go with them. She was still hiding something.

"It's okay, you guys can leave me. Your uncle is in Chattanooga. He last resided at 433 North Shole Avenue. He's a very particular and bizarre man now. He used to write me every so often to tell me secrets" Carol said pausing to not give them away.

"What kind of secrets?" Judith questioned.

"You already know one of them. Here I'll tell you that one more in detail if you promise not to tell Tyreese or Sasha. You know that research room? Well the towns so empty because when the town went to hell I murdered multiple families around here to steal their belongings. I'd stab the children's heads so they didn't turn, than skin them" Carol said trying to figure out what Judith was thinking. "The adults unfortunately I'd leave to turn. I'd use the rope you obviously found in the research room and noose them, it made it easier during supply runs to the houses to get what I wanted and get out without having too many walkers enter the homes."

"I….." Judith was speechless enthralled by Carol's courage and evilness.

"I'm sorry if that ruined our friendship, but that's why you saw bones behind the barrel. I went downstairs while you guys were sleeping hoping that you didn't find them. But I knew I had to be honest with you" Carol said scratching her head.

Carol and Judith sat staring at each other for five minutes before Tyreese and Sasha entered the room. The silence that Judith portrayed to Carol made her feel like this was the final boundary push between their friendship. Hours passed with not many words spoken, the house was once again silent. Sasha finally spoke up.

"Why are you guys so quiet anymore? Shouldn't we be trying to have fun?" As soon as the word fun rang through the walls a group of walkers approached the front door, even without an invitation. Carol and Tyreese rushed to barricade the door with anything they could, as Sasha and Judith pushed themselves against the wall.

"Judith do you know how to shoot a gun?" Sasha continued "If they knock the door over on Tyreese and Carol I'm going to rush up there and try to save them with my knife, you will have to shoot if I'm in trouble"

"Yes ma'am, I think I can do it" Judith said.

Carol and Tyreese appeared to have the door barricaded; they walked back over to Judith and Sasha.

"Why did you allow a child to have a gun, Sasha" Tyreese said in a friendly but irritated tone.

"She has to learn somehow!" Sasha exclaimed.

"I'm fine you two. If I would have missed a shot and a walker got you, it would have been my fault. Accept me as an adult in this world, please" Judith proclaimed.

The four of them stared at each other, each with their own feeling of disbelief. They returned to the table eventually forgetting about the argument. Carol pulled out some playing cards and they ended the night with a family activity, or at least it felt like family to Judith at this point.

The day of departure from Carol came shortly after; she squeezed Judith with a tight hug as tears poured from her eyes. They descended down the cobblestone pathway towards the road to Tennessee. Carol stood at the front door watching them fade into the fog, hoping they'd meet again.

Under a dim swinging light sits a lady with no means to escape, she's been captured. The marauders have invaded her house, her friends have left her and the skin on her jaw dangles from the lies she has given. She has protected her friends from the marauders, her life unfortunately ends here. She hopes to join Sophia in clouds, she accepts defeat. Her eyes fall from their sockets; her heart hits its last beat. As the twirling clouds of storms and the prosperity evil from these horrible men, the lady Judith admired is now dead within the chair.

A few days passed after Judith, Tyreese, and Sasha had left Carol behind. The sightings of ravens welcomed them as they walked along the forest's paths. The decaying fish of the forest river's bled into the murky water. The hawks crashed to the ground with no reason to hunt any longer.

Back at the house that built up the survivor's self-esteem, the decayed bodies of the mice remain.


	6. Chapter 6: A Single Day of Happiness

**Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction**

** Chapter 6: A Single Day of Happiness**

He stands over her, the large hook that replaces his amputated arm running along her skin. The long silver hook nicely sharpened to a degree of mastery, now inserting into her vertebral. The screams and anguish echo into the halls of hell, no one is around. She reaches for the straps that have her constrained as the hook digs deeper into her flesh. Her arteries pleaded for forgiveness as they burst in a volcanic form. She lets out her final scream as the mastermind leans over and begins feasting on her flesh.

Judith let out a long sigh as her breathing resumed to normal, it was just a nightmare. She glanced over at Sasha and Tyreese who remained asleep. She let out a secondary sigh of relief as she embraced the enormous trees that stood above the camp. Judith stood up and began exploring what nature had to offer. A mother robin sat on a birch tree glancing into her nest lamenting the unhatched eggs that had rotten.

"Good morning" Judith spun around to see Tyreese standing behind her who happened to be enjoying the sight of seeing Judith appreciate nature in such a malevolent world.

"Thanks" Judith said as ever eyes averted to the ground.

"Once Sasha awakens, do you want to make our way to Chattanooga? I know your uncle has to be waiting for you." Tyreese said with a delightful smile.

Judith walked over to a plant that looked really familiar to her. She examined that leaves closer as Tyreese came walking behind her.

"That's peppermint; you should try it in your next drink of water" Tyreese said as he reached down and began plucking more leaves off the plant.

"Yeah that's it, I couldn't recall the name of it" Judith said with a smile.

The two of them walked back over to Sasha who remained asleep, they prepared peppermint beverages. The smell was intense, but the taste was purifying. Judith looked at Tyreese who appeared to be enjoying the minty flavor; she hadn't had natural mint in years. The last time was at a get-together with family and friends prior to the outbreak.

"Damn this mint is delicious!" Tyreese exclaimed with joyfulness as Sasha arose from sleeping.

"Yummy! Who found mint?" Sasha said with a slight giggle.

Judith and Tyreese looked at each other and smiled. The three of them enjoyed their minty beverages as the sun began to set. The sound of walkers was in the distance, but Judith knew that she couldn't let those mindless creatures ruin her one perfect day. Nighttime approached and the owls hooted their lullabies as the three cuddled close together for a cold and long night not prepared for what would come on their journey to Tennessee.


	7. Chapter 7: The Cheerful Souvenir

**Judith Grimes: The Grim Tales of Destruction**

** Chapter 7: The Cheerful Souvenir **

The beautiful sunrise of the following day showed a sign of hope. Yesterday was almost as calming as life used to be before the hellish demons invaded the Earth. It was time for their departure to Tennessee as they rose from their beds with a feeling of optimism. The walkers in the distance feasted on small rabbits that unfortunately didn't make it to their mother's side, but Judith knew she wasn't going to witness such tragedy in her "family".

The walk towards Tennessee would take a total of 118 miles, a long journey that would likely cause exhaustion that the group was prepared to endure. As they headed west out of their old home walking already ten minutes they came to a large trestle bridge with an eloquent design. A tiny cherub statue sat near the entrance of the bridge, with the words _for you my love_ etched into it with a name faintly visible. It read Mary. Judith mumbled a minor prayer and pecked the statue and continued with the group across the bridge.

Judith was beginning to realize she was becoming less of an uncontrollable lunatic, and more of a loving daughter to Sasha and Tyreese. She accepted them as her newly loving parents.

The group walked a few more miles as the afternoon heat rose to ninety-eight degrees. The ultraviolet rays embraced her skin with an unpleasant burn, but nothing at this point would stop her from reaching her uncle. A curvy trail with a dismembered walker dragging itself hoping to make the group a feast crawled out of a shrub. The group was admonished to approach the semi-harmless fiend, but knew the poor soul needed to be put to rest. Tyreese raised his right hand which held a sharpened knife and sunk it into the now soulless walker's head.

As the walk became tiring, they knew that they'd have to break soon. They began searching for safe destination areas. In the east, a large red barn with orchard came into view. As they approached the barn, they realized the orchard was now just withered apple trees. The barn was antique; it appeared to be built in the twenties. The owners were deceased as everything in sight was inanimate. Behind the barn, a twenty-foot rustic windmill appeared to approach its stages of dilapidation. Judith approached the pens that once held roosters, hens, and chicks. She reminisced the field trips at school to the local area farm that was owned by Mr. Morris. The memories were magical.

"This was probably a well-ran farm before this all happened. This definitely had its variety of livestock" Sasha said approaching Judith from behind.

"Yeah I bet it was delightful for not only the owners, but also the residents" Judith said with a smile emerging.

The two of them took in the peacefulness of the farm as Tyreese approached the front door of the doors to the barn hoping to find some supplies. The only way into the barn was climbing a ladder to the hay loft, as the front door appeared to be barricaded by a two- by-four. He ascended up the ladder watching Sasha and Judith closely, similar to a watchtower guard. The tiny opening, which used to be a window Tyreese assumed, provided enough view of Judith and Sasha so he could continue to peek at them every few minutes in case of danger. He scavenged the upper loft only finding a sewing needle and thread that appeared unused for years. He knew he'd have to descend down into the barn, but that meant losing sight of Sasha and Judith. He chose to anyway.

Down in the barn the light was frail and the smell was disturbing. He reached for his backpack to pull out a matchbox and lit a small match for a small force of lighting, enough to see in front of him for a few minutes. He noticed an unused candle lantern hanging to his left, retrieved it and quickly lit the candle inside. In the room in front of him was a shelf of canned goods and an old man sitting up restless with a nail shoved through his upper lip into his nostrils with "We were the unlucky ones" branded into his lower arm right above his wrist. Tyreese assumed it was suicide, but why would you take an awful demise like slow-moving blood loss? It almost seemed homicidal. He packed a few canned goods, enough for the journey to Tennessee and walked over to the ladder. At about the time he reached for the ladder, a loud agonizing scream came from outside.

He began to quickly ascend the ladder into the loft, and peeked out the window. A well-rounded redneck man stood holding a shotgun over Sasha and Judith who were on their knees. He leaned into the wood, barely making out what the man was saying.

"You…are trespassing…. I don't give a damn….I don't need help lady! I seek vengeance to trespassers! I don't care if walkers will hear me dammit! Yall need to get off… I know there are more than just you two ladies!" The man screamed angrily as the words faded in and out making almost impossible to get a real sentence structure.

The man continued with his fist clenched and now swinging his shotgun back and forth between Tyreese's two hopeless members.

"I'm Randy Ob… I'm one mean su'n a bich! If I see you, your lover, your sister or your mother walking on my field without my… I'm shooting you and dicing each… of your bodies to Gerald. Trust me… you su'n biches don't... meet Gerald" the conversation ended as Randy remained over the two girls.

Tyreese knew it was time to go out and save the girls; he climbed the ladder leaving the candle lantern to burn out inside the barn. As he hit the surface of the grass, it was almost like a feeling of salvation but also a feeling of distress. He took in a deep thought. _God dammit why is it that we survive a thousand dead men wanting to eat us alive, but a farmer boy with no sense of direction but to kill has my two friends, or family members held hostage. Damn unpredictable redneck!_

Tyreese stared at the grass, it was now time he was going to show Judith he was more than courageous he was caring as well.

Sasha and Judith saw their friend coming around the barn's corner where the ladder stood. They knew they wouldn't show any sign of relief or happiness. They remained in a state of shock hiding their true feelings. Randy thought he was victorious; he placed the gun on Sasha's upper lip rubbing the muzzle along it. He chuckled, as the northwest clouds materialized rain in the distance. Randy's grin was mischievous but Sasha knew the only way out of this was to flirt which would leave him wide open to Tyreese's attack. Sasha began to take her upper layers off, as Judith now uncomfortable nudging her as to tell her to stop.

"I can't wait for what you're going to do to me, you know you don't want to kill this" Sasha said in a stimulating tone.

"Stop Sasha!" Judith whispered in an inaudible tone.

Tyreese couldn't believe what his sister was doing, but began to pick up on her idea. She was trying to help him be able to sneak up on Randy easier.

The farm boy fell for Sasha seduction, as he reached down to Sasha's face and planted a moist kiss on her forehead.

"Yall be my ho'kers, how old are you little one?" Randy said pointing at Judith with a tone of desperation. Before she could let out her answer, Randy continued "Ar'l just make this my whore house, nightly enjoyable and daytime walker butchering. Thank you jes'us for answerin' my puryers!"

Judith didn't answer his question, she knew in this world that even being under aged she would just have to accept anything an older man would do to her but she knew it wasn't going to happen with Tyreese so close. Sasha glanced over at Judith, a tiny smirk glittering in the light. A sign of beautiful lies.

Tyreese was getting closer to Randy; he began to glance the area for a murder weapon. He wanted to make this man's death painful. He saw a nearby wrought iron pitchfork; he had a malicious idea in mind.

He began to implant the pitchfork into the ground, carefully building a mound to hold it in place. He checked the pitchfork for sturdiness as this would be the key into how long this man would live through this torture. The pitchfork was sturdy. He began sneaking up behind Randy, when he got about three inches from him he swung his fist in a heavy yet fast motion striking Randy in the back of the head. Randy laid unconscious for several minutes. Tyreese lifted Randy on his shoulders and walked him over to the pitchfork, which remained standing like a crucifix during the horrific walk of the man this guy had just prayed too. He adjusted Randy in his arms, now laying like a plank across his arms and tossed him a few inches above the pitchfork. The pitchfork inserted into Randy's abdominal area, slowly piercing into the flesh of the man who thought life was getting magically optimistic. Randy awoke from his consciousness to the pitchfork halfway through his body letting out an excruciating scream of terror eventually leading him to fall into shock.

Tyreese reunited with Sasha and Judith who ran to him with a mighty hug. In the northern fields barricaded by fencing, twenty or so walkers watched as the group enjoyed their bittersweet victory from farming pervert. Sasha praised Judith for her courage, while Tyreese pulled out the canned food he had found. They popped open a can of peaches and headed towards the ranch house once owned by Randy which was several feet from the barn. The ranch house provided them protection for several nights.

Inside the home they happened to discover a picture of Randy and his family. They found notes with the name Mary written at the end. They would eventually discover the man in the barn was Randy's father and Mary was his mother who was a jumper according to her final goodbye note.

As several days passed the man's body rotted on the iron spikes. Ravens and other fowls feasted on his flesh.

Tyreese would go to his body every night to check on his vital signs. He lived about a day and a half Tyreese figured, no regret filled Tyreese's mind.

Sasha would never be seen by his body, she would have traumatic nightmares of the voyeur watching her lying in bed. She did not want to even think about ever being his bedroom slave again.

On the final night at the ranch house, Judith walked out to the man's body now sparse of skin and organs. In her left hand was a butcher saw she had found in the house's kitchen, she placed the saw over the man's left wrist bone and sawed off his hand. She placed the hand in her backpack to keep as a souvenir.

Tyreese reached for his matchbox as they made their way out of the house, he knew this part of the farmer's lives was over. He lit around five matches and threw them into the living room, the fire spread amongst the curtains and furniture. Tyreese mumbled "God bless" as the house collapsed. As the embers rose, the group left this chapter of their journey behind them hoping for more positive encounters down the road.


End file.
